Test of Rivals
by Archdemon Slayer
Summary: Blue Dragon anime. Takes place between episode 18 and 19 of season 1. Rated T for blood and language. While sparring, Shu and Jiro fall into an underground cavern and nearly die. Now, the the two must put aside their differences to find a way out of the cavern, or die. However, monsters and other dangers lurk around every corner, ready to kill.Please review.fixed chapter 9
1. Chapter 1

"So where are we headed to, Zola?" Shu asked Zola as they traveled through the woods.

"We're heading to a place where Kluke could probably sense and summon her Shadow again," Zola replied. Jiro knew where that place was. It was Phoenix's ruins in the ruins of Luminas. He and Zola had passed it on their journey together before, Jiro added with a scowl, before that asshole Shu joined them.

At the edge of the forest, Zola signaled the others to stop.

"It's getting late, you guys," she said. "We should set up camp for the night and get some training in while we're at it." She turned to Jiro. "Jiro, I want you and Shu to spar with your Shadows. Find an open area to do it."

"Waste of time," Jiro muttered. "I think we all know who'll win."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh? !" Shu shouted, throwing his face in Jiro's. Jiro glared at Shu and the two spent a few moments exchanging hateful words.

"Enough, you two," Zola told them. Jiro and Shu turned their backs to each other, both boys letting out a 'hmph!'

"What about me, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"You and I will go spar together," Zola replied. "Kluke and Bouquet, you come with us. I don't think you two will be safe around these two when they go at it."

"Okay," Kluke and Bouquet replied.

"Like I said before, you two find an open area to spar," Zola reminded Shu and Jiro. "And don't go overboard, either." Jiro just narrowed his eyes as Zola, Marumaro, Kluke, and Bouquet disappeared in the forest. If Shu pissed him off then he WILL go overboard, whether Zola likes it or not!

"Let's go," Jiro told Shu as he headed off in the opposite direction of the others.

"Whatever," Shu replied with a tone that made Jiro curl his hands into fists. He took a deep breath and relaxed. He could beat the hell out of the pipsqueak when they spar.

After walking awhile, Jiro saw that they were headed to the entrance of the bottom of a canyon.

"Let's train in here," Jiro said. Shu didn't say anything, but Jiro was positive the brat was rolling his eyes at him. He was definitely gonna kill the runt.

When the two were well into the canyon, both boys faced each other and summoned their Shadows.

"Go, Minotaur!" Jiro shouted. Minotaur rushed at Blue Dragon, ready to throw a punch. Blue Dragon blocked it with a punch of his own. The two Shadows went at it awhile before Minotaur threw a punch that sent Blue Dragon and Shu backwards. Shu got back up and powered up.

"Fire Crisis!" Shu shouted. Blue Dragon shot out blue flames, which landed in front of Jiro and Minotaur. The force from the flames' impact threw Jiro to the ground. Blue Dragon and Shu erupted from the smoke from the flames. Blue Dragon's fist was surrounded in a blue aura. He was preparing for a strong punch. Jiro managed to roll away just in time to dodge the attack.

Blue Dragon's attack didn't stop at the ground, but instead went easily through it. Crack quickly formed around the impact and spread underneath Shu and Jiro. The ground suddenly collapsed beneath them and the two fell in, their Shadow's vanishing. The two fell countless feet, the hole above them rapidly looking smaller and smaller as they fell. At last, Jiro hit the ground and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Shu groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His entire body was wracked with unbelievable pain. He was covered in cuts and gashes. A metallic taste filled his mouth and he spat out blood. As he tried to get up, agonizing pain shot up his left arm and he fell back down, clutching it. He figured his left arm was broken.

Shu suddenly remembered that he wasn't the only one that fell in and he rolled over on his stomach, trying to find Jiro. He spotted the other boy a few feet away, lying on his back with his head turned away from Shu. Forgetting that he despised Jiro more than anything, he crawled over to him the best he could, practically dragging his left arm.

When Shu got to Jiro, his face went cold. Jiro was worse than he was. During the fall, Shu happened to be close to a wall and tried to grab hold. He didn't succeed, of course, but he managed to slow himself down and lower the damage done to him. It seemed that Jiro didn't have such luck.

Jiro was cut up and bloody all over. A rock shard was lodged in his side just above his hip. His green tunic was turning scarlet around the rock. Blood was streaming out of his mouth and pooling in front of him. More blood seemed to come out of another location in his head and Shu turned Jiro's face so it faced his. On the right side of Jiro's head, his usually well-groomed hair was matted with blood pouring out of a large gash in his head. His right eye was bleeding a tiny bit.

"Jiro!" Shu cried out. Tears splashed onto Jiro's bloodstained face. The tears were red and Shu placed his right hand over his face and pulled it away quickly as pain was felt just above his left eye. There was a gash above it which turned Shu's hand dark red.

"JIRO! WAKE UP, DAMMIT! JIIIRRRRROOOOOO!" Shu screamed, shaking Jiro violently. His hand hit the rock that was in Jiro's side. Shu grabbed onto it with his right hand and yanked it out. Blood gushed from the wound. Shu turned his head when Jiro yelled out in pain.

"Sh-Shu. . ." Jiro moaned as he scrunched his eyes before slowly opening them. Shu's heart almost stopped. There was so much pain in Jiro's dark blue eyes that Shu almost had another crying fit. Jiro coughed up some blood.

"Jiro. . ." Shu whispered. He tried to help Jiro up, but Jiro screamed in pain. Shu stopped and lay him back down again.

"Wh-what. . . happened. . ?" Jiro asked, his voice cracked.

"We. . .we fell in," Shu replied, looking around. "I think this is an underground river or something. I can hear water."

"Th-then there. . .has to be. . .a way. . .out," Jiro said, having another coughing fit. More blood flew out of his mouth and landed on his tunic, dotting it with red.

"Hang on Jiro! I'll get us out of here!" Shu promised. He tried to help Jiro up, doing it more carefully this time and trying to use his left arm. Excruciating pain shot up it, but he ignored it, determined to help Jiro. Jiro let out cries of pain, but Shu was able to wrap Jiro's left arm around his neck and stand up. Jiro began to close his eyes again, sinking into unconsciousness again. Shu glanced over at Jiro's face. The small beams of light that filtered through high up cracks allowed Shu to get a good look at the taller boy's face. Jiro's face was pale and his breath was ragged. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his face, leaving crimson streaks on his face. Shu felt his own face beginning to sweat, even though his body was cold. If he didn't find a way out soon and find Zola and the others quickly, he and Jiro were going to die down here!

* * *

**Me: Well, that's chapter 2! Maybe I can make a twist in the story and have one or both boys die in it!**

**Shu and Jiro: WHAT? ! ? !**

**Me: Or I could do it the boring and predictable way and have both live.**

**Shu and Jiro: YOU'D BETTER LET US LIVE!**

**Me: I'll start a poll. You guys go on my profile and vote for Shu and Jiro's fate.**

**Shu: ARE YOU KIDDING? !**

**Jiro: YOU'RE LEAVING IT UP TO THE READERS? !**

**Me: The options will be: Shu die, Jiro dies, both boys die, or both boys live.**

**Shu: If someone dies, I vote for Jiro!**

**Jiro: You don't get a vote, you moron!**

**Me: Poll will end near the last chapter. It's up to you readers to decide their fate! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ! ! ! !**

**Shu and Jiro: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, WOMAN!**

**Me: Nothing. It's just that there's not enough main characters deaths in the series.**

**Shu and Jiro: AND WE DON'T NEED TO START!**

**Me: Well, ANYWAYS, vote!**

**Shu and Jiro: PLEASE LET ME LIVE!**

**Me: You two, shut up and let the readers make up their own minds!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Let me down, Shu," Jiro groaned. Shu lowered Jiro the best he could, wincing as pain shot up his broken arm. Jiro sighed as he lay back against the wall. Shu did the same thing. The cold walls soothed the burning pain in his back. After what seemed like forever, Shu finally broke the silence.

"How you doing, Jiro?" he asked.

"Not so good," Jiro replied, pain lining his words. "Why'd you help me anyway, Shu?"

"What do you mean?" Shu asked.

"I thought you hated me," Jiro replied. It was true. Shu absolutely despised the other boy, but this time it was different.

"We both need to get out of her," Shu said. "I don't think I would be able to let even you die here." Jiro closed his eyes and smiled.

"So it doesn't matter how badly we treat each other, you'll just help me anyway?" Jiro smirked.

"What? Do you want to die?" Shu asked, getting pissed at Jiro's tone.

"I never said that," Jiro replied matter-of-factly. His eyes flew open suddenly.

"What's wrong now?" Shu asked.

"Shut up!" Jiro whispered. The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps. A low growl was heard as the footsteps came closer and closer.

"We gotta hide!" Shu whispered. He got up and squeezed in a crack in the wall nearby. He realized Jiro wasn't with him and he squeezed back out to rescue the other. The footsteps were louder this time, accompanied by the sound of metal hitting each other. The growling grew louder. Sweat fell from Shu's face. He had to hurry!

Shu spotted Jiro struggling to get up, letting out a cry of pain as he fell back down, clutching his still-bleeding side. The footsteps stopped abruptly and started up again, the growling from whatever was heading towards them getting louder.

"Damnit!" Shu swore under his breath as he reached Jiro. Jiro's wound was bleeding worse than before, the blood trickling between Jiro's fingers as he continued to clutch his side. Shu wrapped Jiro's arm around his neck and got up, despite the sudden pain shooting up his side and Jiro crying out in pain.

Shu ran the best he could. He could hear whatever was chasing them getting closer. Shu squeezed himself and Jiro into the crack and waited. Shu suddenly realized with a chill that Jiro had bled on the ground, leaving a trail leading right towards where the two were hiding. Shu held his breath as the footsteps stopped near the entrance of where they were hiding. Right now, Shu wished he had the strength to summon Blue Dragon. The shadow of the pursuer fell at the entrance. The figure seemed to be fish-shaped. It seemed to be holding two swords.

Shu shrunk himself down the best he could. A blue fin grasped the corner of the crack and a giant fish head peered around it, two red eyes locked onto Shu and Jiro!


	4. Chapter 4

Just so you guys know, the fish is the Cutlass Fish from the Blue Dragon game. Most of the creatures in the story will be from the Underground Cavern near Lago Village in Disc One.

* * *

Jiro had to resist yelping as the creature gazed at him and Shu. Sweat ran down his face and dripped on the ground. He feared the creature heard the sweat hit the ground.

"Don't move. . ." Jiro whispered to Shu. The fish looked up at Jiro's voice. Jiro felt Shu's body tense up right next to his. Jiro closed his eyes and waited for the fish to kill him. Instead, he heard the fish let out a 'harrumph!' and walk away. Jiro slowly opened his eyes. The fish was gone from the entrance and its footsteps began to fade away. Shu helped Jiro get out of the crack they were hiding in. Jiro gasped as he felt the wound in his side rip open even larger.

"You okay, Jiro?" Shu asked.

"I would be if you weren't so rough getting me in and out of there!" Jiro spat.

"If I didn't, you'd be dead!" Shu snapped back.

"I could get in there by myself!" Jiro retorted.

"If you call getting up and falling back down hiding yourself, then you were doing a perfect job," Shu replied sarcastically.

"Just shut up, will ya? !" Jiro shouted. He froze as his voice bounced off the cavern walls. He listened closely to see if the fish was coming back, but he heard no footsteps.

Jiro placed his left hand on the wall and tried to get up. His head reeled from the gash in the side of it and he fell back down again. Jiro looked up and saw Shu observing him with amusement in his face. Jiro gritted his teeth. If only he had enough strength to summon Minotaur. He'd knock that smirk off the brat's face!

"Need any help, Jiro?" Shu asked in an amused way. Jiro glared at the smaller boy. He bet that Shu was enjoying every moment of this.

"Go screw yourself!" Jiro spat. His vision went fuzzy. The gash in his head was messing up his sight. Jiro squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, flinging drops of blood in every direction. Most landed in the water from the river running next to them. Jiro opened his eyes again, his vision returning to normal. He tried getting up again, more slowly this time. He staggered at he stood up completely and he put his hand on the wall for support. He looked at Shu. The smaller of the two was looking bored.

"Done yet?" Shu asked, boredom evident in his voice.

"Shut the hell up already," Jiro muttered. Splashing caught his attention. He and Shu turned their heads towards the river. Half a dozen blue fish leapt out of the water. Jiro was surprised to see the fish hovering over the water. The ends of their heads ended in a point with black ring patterns encircling it. Jiro realized that they must have scented his blood that flew in the water. The fish opened their mouths, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"What do we do now?" Shu asked. Jiro didn't respond. All he could think about was that he might die. He focused his energy at summoning Minotaur, but without success. His energy was almost gone.

Jiro suddenly remembered his dagger and pulled it out, gripping it with both hands. Blood on his hands stained the handle of it. Jiro took a step towards the fish, trying his hardest not to fall.

One of the fish shot forward. Jiro swung the dagger, blood spraying everywhere as it cut the attacker in half. The rest of the fish stared in horror at their dead comrade. Anger filled their eyes and the five charged at Jiro. Jiro used his dagger to hold off one that was going to ram its head into Jiro. One flew around and rammed its head into Jiro's head wound. Jiro staggered and covered it with his right hand. Warm liquid soaked his hand and his vision began to get fuzzy again. The same fish charged at him again. Jiro was surprise to see Shu punch it away from him.

The fish shook its head and growled something to the others. The four charged at Jiro while the one that Shu had hit turned its attention to Shu. Jiro blocked one with his dagger, but another rammed its head into Jiro's stomach. Blood flew out of his mouth as he staggered backwards. Pain seized him as one of the fish sank its teeth into Jiro's right arm. Jiro screamed and fell back, trying desperately to shake the fish off, but the fish just sank its teeth in further. Blood turned the fish's scales scarlet. Jiro gripped his dagger and stabbed at it. The fish's blood flew into Jiro's face. Eventually, he felt the fish go limp.

At once, the other three charged at Jiro, one biting his other arm and the other two ramming themselves repeatedly into Jiro. Jiro let go of the dagger as the fish biting into his left arm strengthened its grip. Jiro's vision began going black from the rapid blood loss. The last thing he remembered was Shu screaming his name before one of the fish rammed into his head and everything went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

"JIRO!" Shu cried out as he saw the boy collapse. He swatted at the fish attacking him and felt tears filling his eyes. Shu noticed that Jiro had dropped his dagger. Shu dove for it and picked it up in an instant. Jiro's blood on the handle was sticky but Shu ignored it. The three fish that took Jiro down had already moved away from him. Shu scowled. These fish only killed for sport!

In a rage, She swung the dagger at the nearest fish and killed it. The blood from the fish stained Shu's face as he went for the next one. The one that had attacked Shu rammed its head into Shu's back, knocking him off balance. He got back up and stabbed it as the fish went in for another attack. The remaining fish, frightened, flew away as fast as it could before Shu could kill it.

Shu stood, panting, and grasping the blood stained dagger with both hands. He released his grip and let the dagger fall to the ground. She fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath the whole time. Shu turned his head to where Jiro was lying. The fish that Jiro had killed was still grasping Jiro's bleeding arm in its mouth.

"JIRO!" Shu screamed. He dashed over to the other boy and detached the dead fish from his arm. The only thing that Jiro did was twitch his hand. Shu glanced over at the five dead fish that lay bloody around them. At least they won't be going hungry, Shu thought.

* * *

Jiro's head was spinning as her opened his eyes. Excruciating pain was shooting up both arms and Jiro let out a moan.

"You're up. . ." Jiro heard Shu say. Jiro looked over to where he heard Shu's voice come from and he froze. Shu's face was covered in blood. Shu seemed to notice Jiro's horrified expression. "It's not mine. By the way do you know how to start a fire, cause I'm clueless."

Jiro noticed five bloody fish in front of Shu.

"Yeah. . .just give me a moment," Jiro grunted as he got up.

* * *

The fish, despite being bloodthirsty, were actually very good. Jiro had finally managed to build a fire using sticks that had long since washed up and dried out. When the two had managed to eat their fill, Jiro lay down, his head and arms throbbing in pain. All he wanted to do now was sleep. Eventually, Jiro closed his eyes and sleep overtook him.

Shu watched the sleeping boy. He knew it was up to him to keep them safe. The cavern slowly grew dark. Shu figured it was getting late. He wondered if Zola and the others were looking for him and Jiro right now. Shu sighed and his eyes grew heavy. He lay down and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he was going to get him and Jiro out of this hell hole.


	6. Chapter 6

End of the story will be coming up in a couple more chapters. No one has voted in the poll yet. If that's going to be the case, I'll just do one of them.

* * *

Light woke Jiro up. He got up slowly and saw that Shu was just now waking up as well. Jiro knew that they had to get moving quickly!

Jiro was able to walk on his own without the help of Shu, but he was much slower than the other. As he struggled to keep up, Jiro wondered what new terrors they were going to face today. He sighed and decided to wait for it to happen.

"What's wrong, Jiro?" Shu asked.

"Nothing, why?" Jiro replied.

"Well you seem to be slower than usual," Shu said.

"It's nothing to worry about," Jiro said, getting defensive. He wasn't going to show any more weakness to Shu. Shu just shrugged and continued onward. After awhile, a hissing was heard up ahead.

"Hold up!" Shu told Jiro. The hissing grew louder. Jiro thought he was just imagining it, but it sounded like the hissing was coming from four creatures instead of one.

"We need to hide," Jiro said.

"I know!" Shu snapped. He and Jiro hid in between two rocks as the hissing grew louder. Jiro now knew he wasn't imagining it. The hissing WAS coming from four creatures. Jiro held his breath as a giant snake head passed the two boys.

Jiro suddenly yelped as a jagged piece of rock cut into him and the head turned around sharply. Three more snake heads appeared. Jiro stared in shock as the heads all shared one giant body. The snakes towered over the two, their tail rattling. Jiro knew there was no hope of escaping this creature without a fight. He instinctively drew out his dagger. He lunged at the snake and sunk the dagger into its belly. The snakes hissed in pain.

"Run Shu!" Jiro shouted.

"Are you crazy? !" Shu exclaimed.

"I'll hold it off! You need to get out of here!" Jiro ordered.

"I can't just leave you like this!" Shu replied.

"Forget about me! Find Zola and the others! I'll catch up with you!" Jiro yelled, desperation building up in his voice.

"And what if you don't?" Shu retorted.

"I will! Trust me!" Jiro shouted. This seemed to sink into Shu.

"You promise?" Shu asked.

"I promise! Now get outta here!" Jiro yelled. Shu dashed away, taking one look back as the snakes swung their tail, slamming Jiro into the wall with it.

"Jiro!" Shu shouted and started to head back to help him.

"Keep going!" Jiro shouted. "Find a way out!" Shu closed his eyes and Jiro saw tears streaming down Shu's face as he ran away again.

Finally! Jiro thought. He looked up as the snakes slammed their tail into his chest again. Jiro stabbed their tail and the snakes pulled it away, taking Jiro's dagger with it and leaving Jiro completely defenseless. Jiro smiled a little, surprising himself. So this is how it all ends for me, huh? Jiro thought with a smirk. The snakes prepared to swing their tail into Jiro again, but Jiro suddenly remembered the promise he made Shu and hit the floor, the snakes' tail swinging right over his head and slamming into the wall. One of the heads lunged at Jiro, mouth wide open and revealing deadly fangs.

Jiro jumped out of the way just in time and went on its head. The snake swung its head around, trying to throw Jiro off. After awhile, it slammed its head into the wall, knocking the wind out of Jiro, as well as some blood that flew out of his mouth. The snakes seemed to realize that they had their prey stuck. The snake that held Jiro kept Jiro on the wall while the others lunged at him. They each slammed into his head, nearly knocking him out.

Finally, the snake pinning him to the wall released the pressure and Jiro fell to the ground. As he tried to get back up, he felt fangs breaking into his skin. One of the heads had bit into his body and was now allowing the poison to flood into Jiro's bloodstream. The snake released Jiro. Jiro felt his energy beginning to vanish. He saw the snakes hissing in victory. One head ripped the dagger out of their tail and spit it to the ground before slithering away.

Jiro lay helpless and waited for the poison to kill him. Then Shu's voice echoed in his mind, telling him to keep his promise. Summoning up his remaining energy, Jiro got up and put his dagger back in its hold. He staggered onwards, determined to at least see the other again before the poison kills him. He stumbled and fell on his hands and knees, coughing up more blood. Jiro just got back up and wiped his mouth off. He would keep his promise, even if it kills him!


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry guys about the poll. I had forgotten to check mark the box to put it on my profile page. NOW you can vote. About three or four chapters left.

* * *

Shu continued onward, still worried about Jiro. He considered going back to check on Jiro a couple of times, but stopped himself. Jiro had promised he would be all right, and checking on him would mean that Shu didn't believe him.

Shu bent down next to the river and drank some of the water before washing his face off with it. The blood that was washed off spread out in the water in a red haze. Shu heard a faint hissing in the distance. Shu prayed that it was because Jiro finished the snakes off.

"What the hell? !" Shu exclaimed when a vile odor hit his nose. He swore that it was like he was surrounded by a hundred skunks. A booming was heard and Shu turned his head. A gigantic golden poo-shaped monster was approaching him. Shu recognized the shape of it. He remembered when Bouquet used to transform into this monster. The only difference was that the one she became was pink.

The monster roared and ran the best it could toward Shu. The slashed at him with sharp white claws. Shu recoiled when the claws tore his shirt. Three long scratches ran diagonally down Shu's chest. He dodged a punch just in time. The monster roared in frustration and swung another punch. Shu ducked as pieces of rock behind him flew everywhere.

"Great time for me not to be able to summon Blue Dragon," Shu muttered crossly. The monster picked up a rock and chucked it at Shu. Shu jumped out of the way. The monster had expected this and punched Shu in midair. Shu was slammed into the rock wall. He felt a wound open up in the back of his head. Blood trickled out of his mouth. The odor and the head wound combined messed up Shu's thinking and before he knew it, another punch sent him back into the wall.

"Where the hell are you when I need you, Jiro?" Shu said to himself. The monster slashed at Shu again. He rolled away just in time and looked back. The slash had left deep grooves in the wall. The monster raised one foot and prepared to bring it down on Shu. Shu jumped back, but the force of the impact from the stomp knocked him down. Shu was about to give up all hope of surviving when a voice called out his name.

"SHU!" It was Jiro's voice. Shu rolled away from a punch and turned to where Jiro's voice was. He froze. Jiro was bloody all over. Two bloody holes were in his green tunic. He was so distracted by Jiro's condition that he didn't see the fist headed towards his head. Shu turned a little to late and the fist made contact. His vision went black for a moment as he was sent into the wall again. His body was hurting all over and Shu didn't think he'd be able to handle much more of this beating. A bloody dagger landed in front of Shu and he turned his head. Jiro smiled and hid out of sight of the monster.

Shu smirked and picked the dagger up. Shu waited for the monster to throw another punch. Shu easily dodged the fist and he slashed the monster's wrist open. The monster pulled its hand back and roared in pain and slashed with its other hand. This time, Shu sunk the sword into its arm and hung on. The monster attempted to smash Shu into the wall, but Shu ripped the sword out and jumped onto the monster's back just in time. The odor was overwhelming now, but Shu blocked it out the best he could as he climbed up on the monster's head.

The monster was frantic now, slamming itself into the walls and whipping its head around to throw Shu off, but Shu hung on tight. Eventually, Shu was able to sink the dagger into the monster's head. The monster's scream was cut off abruptly as it fell face-first to the ground. Shu lost his grip and hit the ground hard. The head came down on him. Shu felt instant pain in his chest when the heavy head slammed into him. He was able to get himself out from under it and freed Jiro's dagger from the dead monster.

Shu looked around for Jiro and saw him coming out of his hiding spot.

"Y-you. . .okay. . .Shu?" Jiro said, his breathing hard.

"Yeah," Shu replied. It was a lie. Shu was actually in tremendous pain. He could hardly feel his left arm anymore and the wound in the back of his head hurt like crazy. Jiro took his dagger back.

As the boys continued onward, Shu noticed that Jiro was struggling even more than usual to keep up. Suddenly, Jiro collapsed, clutching his chest and screaming.

"JIRO!" Shu shouted and went over to Jiro. Jiro's breathing was ragged and heavy. Shu bent down and his vision instantly went dark. He scrunched his eyes shut. The wound in his head was beginning to annoy him more than it hurt him. Shu slowly opened his eyes again, his vision returning to normal. Jiro was struggling to get up and Shu helped him. Jiro's body was feeling heavier than usual and Shu wondered if Jiro was even trying to get up. Shu wrapped Jiro's arm around his neck. He couldn't hang on to Jiro's waist since Shu's left arm was so broken that it just hung uselessly beside him. This made it harder to carry Jiro. Shu saw the light getting brighter after awhile and almost jumped up in joy as he saw the mouth of the cavern just up ahead of them.

"Jiro!" Shu exclaimed joyfully. "There's the exit!"

"Well. . .will ya. . .look at. . .that. . ." Jiro replied. Shu looked over at his companion. Jiro's face was incredibly pale and sweaty. His eyes were half closed and his head began to drop.

"You alright, Jiro?" Shu asked.

"I-I'm fine," Jiro replied. Jiro's eyes closed and he gritted his teeth. Shu heard a groan coming from him. They went out of the cavern and into the forest up ahead. Shu set Jiro down against a tree.

"Jiro, what's wrong?" Shu asked impatiently. Jiro looked up at Shu.

"I'm fine," he replied stubbornly. Shu sighed.

"You're worse than before! Just tell me what happened!" Shu demanded.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with!" Jiro snapped back. Shu saw tears beginning to form at the corners of Jiro's eyes.

"Jiro. . . are you. . . going to cry?" Shu asked.

"Just leave me alone!" Jiro shouted. He wiped his eyes with one sleeve and glared back up at Shu.

"And if you're so fine, how do you explain THAT?" Shu asked, pointing at the bloody holes in Jiro's tunic. "Did you get bitten?" Jiro's gaze fell on the wound and he narrowed his eyes at it.

"Doesn't matter. . ." Jiro grumbled.

"Yes it does!" Shu replied. "You could die from it!"

"Heh. . ." Jiro smirked, closing his eyes. "Didn't know you cared for me that much." His eyes opened and instantly grew serious. "I probably won't make it. I'll go on my own so I won't slow you down anymore."

"I can't do that, Jiro!" Shu replied. "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"I'll only be a burden!" Jiro retorted.

"So you want to die, then? !" Shu snapped. Jiro froze. "If we don't stick together, then we won't make it."

"If you take me with you, then we'll both die," Jiro stated. "I'm weak and poisoned. I'm pretty sure whatever lives in this forest will be able to smell it right away. I'll be putting us both at risk. That's why I should go alone."

"I don't care, Jiro!" Shu yelled, grabbing Jiro by the collar of his tunic. "We're in this together, got it? !"

"Can't change your mind then, huh?" Jiro asked with a smile.

"No way," Shu replied, letting go of Jiro.

"Guess we're in it together then," Jiro said.


	8. Chapter 8

With Jiro's arm wrapped around Shu's neck, Shu trudged onwards into the forest, not knowing where he was heading.

"Shu, please don't tell me you have no idea where we're even going," Jiro said.

"Oh, shut up will you? !" Shu snapped back. "If you think you know so much, then how about telling me where to go? !"

"I never said I knew where to go!" Jiro spat. "This is the reason why we're like this; cause Zola's not with us!"

"Don't you think I know that already? !" Shu retorted. He felt like dropping his load and pounding him. His eye began to twitch with annoyance.

"Wait, Shu!" Jiro whispered. Shu stopped.

"What is it now?" Shu asked impatiently.

". . . we're being followed," Jiro replied, his eyes glancing back and forth. Then he tensed. "Behind us! Duck!"

Shu hit the deck immediately, seeing a large beast soar over them. It landed and turned around, growling. The beast was a tiger with four red eyes and two very long whiskers. Shu heard a roar from behind him and spun his head around, seeing another tiger creeping up on them.

"This is just great. . ." Shu mumbled. Both tigers took slow steps, taking their time. He felt Jiro wobbling a bit, the poison taking its toll on him.

One of the tigers leapt, claws extended, and knocked Shu away from Jiro and pinning him to the ground. Shu could feel blood welling from the areas where the tiger's claws were sinking into. He kicked the tiger's belly, trying to get it off of him.

The tiger roared in pain and staggered away. For a moment, Shu wondered if he actually DID injure it. That's when he saw Jiro on the tiger, sinking his dagger into its back. The tiger shook its body in an attempt to fling Jiro off. It slammed its back into a tree, knocking the wind out of Jiro. However, this only made the dagger go in deeper, causing the tiger to let out another roar of pain as its pelt continued to turn scarlet.

Shu heard a roar from the other tiger and rolled away just in time as the tiger pounced. The tiger faced Shu and raked its claws along his side, causing another set of claw marks to appear. Shu punched the tiger in the face, making it back up a little, shaking its head. It crouched again and pounced. Shu was ready this time. He went onto his back and kicked his legs out, making contact with the tiger's belly and throwing it off. The tiger got back up in an instant, hissing and lashing out with its claws. Then it head butted Shu, throwing him into a tree. Before Shu could get back up, the tiger was directly over him, paw raised in a killing blow. Shu glanced over to where Jiro was. The tiger had managed to throw Jiro off and was ready to kill him. Shu could see that Jiro's dagger was gone from the tiger's back, blood gushing from where it was. Just as the tiger was about to slam its paw down, two familiar voices rang out.

"Ray Stinger!"

"Blitz Claw!"

In an instant, both tigers were thrown off of the boys. Zola and Marumaro appeared a moment later, followed by Kluke and Bouquet, who rushed over to the injured boys.

"OH MY GOD! DARLING!" Bouquet screamed when she saw Shu. Shu noticed that Kluke was crouched over a half-conscious Jiro.

"Zola! Jiro's hurt badly!" Kluke shouted to Zola, who had manage to drive off the tiger. Marumaro and Saber-Tiger just chased off the other and ran over to the two. Saber-Tiger and Killer Bat both vanished when the two got to the boys. Jiro was moaning, clutching the area where the snake had bitten them, and coughing blood. Shu, on the other hand, was quickly losing blood, Bouquet trying her best to stop the bleeding.

"What's wrong with Jiro? !" Zola exclaimed, running over to Kluke.

"I don't know, Zola," Kluke replied. "But the was his body's jerking suggests that there's poison or something in him."

"We need to get these two to a hospital, ASAP!" Zola ordered. She turned to Marumaro. "Have Saber-Tiger take us to the nearest village!"

"You got it, maro!" Marumaro responded, summoning Saber-Tiger. Saber-Tiger crouched down, allowing the others to get on. Zola helped Jiro on while Kluke and Bouquet helped Shu. Once everyone was on, Saber-Tiger took off.

* * *

**Next chapter is the last one! For the poll, I only had one vote. It's closed now. B****tw, thx for reviewing, XZOLAX ! I like that you enjoy the story!**


	9. Chapter 9

Blinking his eyes open, Jiro found that he was lying in a bed in a hospital. He saw that he was covered in bandages, most of them wrapped around his chest.

"Finally awake, Jiro?" he heard Zola say. He turned his head to see her and the others standing next to him. He saw that Shu's left arm was in a cast and he too was covered in bandages. A nurse came over.

"You're lucky we have an antidote for hydrattler poison," she commented. "You would not believe how often people get put in here for getting bitten by one of those bad boys."

"So is he clear to leave, then?" Zola asked the nurse.

"Why? You need to get somewhere?" the nurse asked.

"Let's just say we have important business to take care of," Zola replied.

"Well, I guess," the nurse said. "If that's alright with you." She left the room a moment later.

"Well, time to get up, Jiro," Zola said. Jiro got up slowly. His wounds were still hurting. Eventually he was able to get himself out of the bed.

"How long was I here?" Jiro asked.

"About a week," Kluke replied. "You were in pretty bad shape."

"But we're glad you're okay now, maro!" Marumaro exclaimed.

"Shu woke up about two days ago," Zola said. Shu went over to Jiro.

"Glad you're okay. . ." Shu said. Jiro managed to smile a little.

"Time to go off to Phoenix's ruins!" Zola exclaimed.

"RIGHT!" the others replied. They all headed out to where they were originally going. Zola looked over and saw a sight that amazed her. Shu and Jiro were ACTUALLY walking side-by-side without trying to kill each other. She hid a smile. She was glad that the two were starting to finally build a friendship. This, she thought to herself, would make it easier for her plans to be complete.

**I know, I know. This chapter was WAAAAYYYY too short. But come on! Not like there was going to be much to talk about anyway! As you could see, the single vote was for the both of them to live.**


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